State of Matter

Breakdance boys come of age

When 2FaCeD DaNcE company first came to the Fringe in 2004, their young, energetic approach to breakdance won them a legion of fans. Three years later the company has blossomed beyond measure, leaving behind its youth group status to become a bona fide dance company.

‘We’ve been performing all over the UK and abroad,’ says artistic director, Tamsin Fitzgerald. ‘The company is slightly more contemporary now, but there is still a huge amount of breakdancing and streetdance, so it’s a complete fusion of styles. But the main difference is they’re men now, not boys – they’re more mature, and the work is too.’

Fitzgerald describes their Fringe show, State of Matter as ‘movement for movement’s sake’, during which the eight dancers push their bodies to extremes. It also addresses the company’s constant struggle – dance snobbery. ‘The dance world doesn’t take breakdance seriously,’ says Fitzgerald. ‘But if you fuse it together with contemporary, it becomes a brand new style and is considered artistic.’